Working Alliances Newsletter

University of Detroit Mercy’s doctoral program in clinical psychology is a competitive course of study that trains you to provide psychological services to the community. Based on sound ethical standards and a thorough and contemporary understanding of research-tested psychological principles, your University of Detroit Mercy training emphasizes the inter-relationships among theory, research and clinical practice.

Through sequential, gradual and cumulative training experiences, you receive the broad preparation essential to the practice of clinical psychology and for the development and execution of scientific research. The program consists of coursework, practice, research and scholarship.

Opportunities abound throughout the program for you to not only participate in ongoing theoretical and applied research projects, but also to gain experience through substantive clinical contact.

Clinical experiences are designed not only to afford opportunities to learn skills in clinical settings but also to integrate skills and the theories shaping and guiding those skills. Scholarship is demonstrated throughout coursework through examinations and student papers. Within the context of a comprehensive examination, you will be asked to demonstrate your ability to understand, integrate and communicate your knowledge of psychology in general and clinical psychology in particular. The dissertation, which may be experiential or clinically empirical, is an opportunity to show how you can contribute new knowledge within the field.

As you progress through the course sequence, you will gain in-depth knowledge of psychology and its application to ethical clinical practice. Course content is rooted in a broad-based theoretical perspective that emphasizes classical and contemporary approaches to the psychoanalytic viewpoint. This viewpoint provides a thorough understanding of human behavior that is impacted by conscious and unconscious processes, personality and motivational factors and relational dynamics. These factors serve as the basis for psychotherapeutic interventions.

University of Detroit Mercy’s doctoral program in clinical psychology follows the scientist-practitioner model of clinical training, which includes the integration of science and practice. Consistent with the model suggested at the National Conference on Scientist-Practitioner Education and Training (January 1990), the program emphasizes the development of interlocking skills in scientific methodology and professional practice.

Working Alliances Newsletter

Program Goals

The overall long-range goals of the program emanate from our training model and are directed toward the training of professional clinical psychologists who demonstrate and practice:

professional competence and adaptability

ethical standards and sensitivity to social justice issues

scholarly contributions to the field of psychology

service to the community

The long-range goals of the program are operationally defined through the identification of their related objectives and competencies.The successful completion of specific activities ensures that the goals of the training model will be achieved by all students.

The courses in the curriculum are designed by content and sequence to fulfill several goals. One goal is to acquire a firm foundation in psychology. A second goal is to acquire breadth and depth of knowledge in clinical skills. The curriculum is also designed to fulfill another essential goal: namely, that students be exposed to a variety of problems, populations, issues, and techniques of assessment and intervention. These serve as a basis for further development, professional growth, and innovation as students’ interests and the demands of their professional situations dictate.

How to Apply

Requirements for Application We accept applications from students with either a baccalaureate or a master’s degree as a terminal degree, who have completed, as a minimum, the prerequisite courses (on either the undergraduate or graduate level) listed below: a) One term: Statistics b) One term: Theories of Personality c) One term: Abnormal Psychology d) One term: Developmental Psychology e) Two laboratory courses, for example: Physiological Psychology (strongly recommended), Perception Experimental Psychology (strongly recommended).

Application Materials

When you submit your application online, you will be asked to submit the following:

A Personal Statement - Your personal statement should describe pertinent aspects of your background and your aspirations toward becoming a doctoral-level clinical psychologist. In this letter describe your interests, your accomplishments, your interest in psychology, the issues in psychology that have attracted your attention, why you are applying to our program, and your goals for your professional life. The purpose of this letter is to give you the opportunity to inject something personal into the application materials. This letter helps us see something of the individual who has compiled the indirect indices of achievement that comprise the bulk of the application. Please do not send term papers or theses.

Three (3) letters of recommendation from people familiar with your academic potential and achievement (for those with the master’s degree one person familiar with the applicant’s clinical work). Have one or more of your references comment on your suitability and talent for a professionally oriented course of study in Clinical Psychology. Applicants should have at least a 3.0 GPA in their previous academic work.

Completed applications must be submitted no later than January 1st for consideration to begin the Fall term.

The program’s admissions committee reviews completed applications in February. Qualified applicants are invited for on-campus interviews in March. Admission decisions are made in March and April for the Fall semester.

Financial Aid

The Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program has generally been able to offer half-time tuition credit to students during the first two years of training in exchange for performing teaching assistant duties. A limited number of credits are available for clinic positions starting in the 2nd and 3rd years. Students are expected to pay for the remainder of tuition and other expenses. Students should also contact the University's Financial Aid Office for additional information regarding other sources of financial assistance 313-993-3350.

Our Graduates

We expect our graduates to make contributions to the local community. In addition, we expect our graduates to contribute to society as a whole through their clinical work and scholarly contributions to the evolving body of scientific and professional knowledge.

We train professionals who are committed to a lifetime of learning, pertaining both to professional issues and to major questions of human existence.

Our graduates are employed in a variety of settings including independent practice, clinical and administrative positions in community mental health centers and social agencies, hospital practice, forensic work, research positions, and higher education. They also occupy positions of leadership in professional organizations and are involved in a broad range of professional activities.

Our graduates have gone on to do postdocs around the country, including:

Accreditation Status

Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Clinical Psychology

University of Detroit Mercy's Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program is currently accredited by the Commission on Accreditation, American Psychological Association (APA), 750 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002-4242.